GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sean Richardson had two ways to look at his very serious neck injury last season.

He could worry about his future in football.

Or he could be grateful that he still had a future at all.

The 6-foot-2 safety out of Vanderbilt has chosen to concentrate on the latter this off-season while he continues to rehabilitate from the sideline while his peers compete for jobs during the Packers practices in Green Bay.

“I never had a doubt that I wanted to hang it up. Never,” said Richardson. “I always keep faith, pray about it and talk to my family. I got a lot of support from the team and outside of the team. It’s been a journey and I had the heart for it. I’m excited to get back.”

Packers fans might remember Richardson — but then again you might not. After a brilliant preseason in which he led the Packers in tackles with 16 and stood out on special teams as well, he was one of four non-drafted rookies to make the roster in 2012.

He was inactive for the first six games of the regular season, hampered by a hamstring injury. Then for five games he was on the field for special teams, playing 91 of a possible 143 snaps. He had four tackles during that span. He also played some safety in the Packers’ victory in Detroit on Nov. 18. It was a promising start.

When he got hurt covering the opening kickoff Nov. 25 against the New York Giants, it was his back that tightened up and bothered him, not his neck. He wasn’t alarmed.

“I went to practice, practiced for a few days and got a lot better so I was thinking I’d be fine for the next game,” said Richardson, which would have been against Minnesota. “That Friday, just as a precaution they wanted to check it out and see what it looked like — and that’s when I got the bad news.”

He had a herniated disc in his neck.

“Pretty serious,” said Richardson.

He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 1. After Richardson’s MRI, his doctors wondered if he would not only have to treat the herniated disc but also have a fusion, where one or more vertebrae are united so that motion no longer occurs. They wouldn’t know for sure until they operated.

“But after the surgery, they said it wasn’t nearly as bad as they thought and that was a great sign,” said Richardson. “There wasn’t any nerve damage. So that was a plus. A lot of the things they had planned on doing on the neck they didn’t have to do. It was a great.”

The surgery was in January and afterward he was on bed rest for two weeks. Then he began rehabilitating the muscles around the neck.

“It’s been a long journey but I have been staying focused and positive,” said Richardson, 23. “The coaches and players are keeping me up.

“The doctor did a great job, the injury doesn’t give me any problems. I actually forget that I had the surgery unless somebody reminds me. Other than that I feel fine.”

His doctor was orthopedic spine surgeon Robert Watkins of Los Angeles, the doctor who operated on Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.

“It gave me a lot of hope,” said Richardson. “I know Peyton Manning is the best and is looking for the best, so I felt pretty confident. I got a lot of feedback on who should do the surgery and Watkins’ name came up a lot.”

Richardson said he’s close to 100 percent recovered, that he has crossed three major hurdles and only has to satisfy his doctors on two remaining tests that aren’t as tough. He feels he will be ready for training camp, “if not sooner.”

He is missing important practice right now. The Packers need to fill Charles Woodson’s spot and M.D. Jennings and Jerron McMillian are the top considerations there to start opposite Morgan Burnett.

Richardson said he wasn’t too concerned about not participating in organized team activities, or the mandatory minicamp that starts Tuesday. He believes no jobs have been won or lost yet, echoing the same line from coach Mike McCarthy recently.

“It’s always tough to be on the sideline,” said Richardson. “I wasn’t always the best player on the field but I always worked for it, always competed, and I play with a passion. That’s what got me here and that’s what’s keeping me going. That’s what helped me through this surgery and the rehab. I just keep faith and keep pushing. I’ll be back out there.”

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